Show c 1 7 P ANCIENT LEGAL LEG TOME VIRGINIA CLAIMS OLDEST LAW BOOK IN AMERICA ME ICA Brought to A America erica Y Years ars Ago by the Rev John Cotton Its History History His History tory Is S Clearly Traced as It Has Passed From Father to Son The old oldest st law book In all America brought to this continent by the man who named the city o 0 of Boston is turning turning turning turn turn- ing yellow with each ach add added d year of age on ona a library sh shelf lt in the home of ofa a distant son of its original owner here The book which must be handled bandied with caution now lest its leaves crumble crumble crum crum- ble was brought to America years rears ago this fall It came because Rev John Cotton was too puritanical in his tastes to suit the authorities of the Church of England As vicar of St. St Botolphs Botolph's church Boston Lincolnshire he was summoned summoned sum sum- to appear before Archbishop Laud Rather than appear he fled to America Among his other books was this old Collection of the Statutes from the Time of the Magna Charts Charta unto the Yere of Our Lord 1574 It has been handed down from froin son to grandson until it has reached the the fifth generation and It Is now now held by Col Samuel Storrs Cotton of this city a anian antan nian more than 85 years of age The book at Its last birthday was years of q age Nearly three centuries centuri s ago John Sohn Cotton Cotton Cot Cot- ton was pastor of the largest church churchin in Great Britain When he came to America the party of colonists with him who landed at Boston r resolved solved to name the new town for him In honor of his his' old home town The American encyclopedia tells of of this Incident In under the head of f Boston Cotton was a prominent antagonist ol ot Roger Williams En route to the new world a SOD son was born born to John Cotton and his wife The son was named Seaborne In honor of the voyage This book became became became be be- came Seaborne's property at manhood and at his bis death it went to his son John Thomas was the son of John who got the valuable volume and Simon Simon Si Si- mon man received it at his fathers father's Thomas Thom Thom- as death It is Simons Simon's name which Is scrawled across the title page SImon Simon Simon Si mon Cotton His Book Bool 1774 4 Joseph Cotton another New Englander Englander Eng Eng- lander became the possessor of th the book after his father Simon and Josephs Joseph's Joseph's Josephs Jo Jo- Josephs Joseph's seph's son gr grew w up to seek a fortune In the new west He came to Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Ne Ne- braska when houses were unknown And with him bim he brought his old li book ol This was Samuel Storrs Cott Cotton n later CoL Call Cotton Traced back beyond John Cotton the family tree extends directly directly- to the famous Robert Bruce Four generations gen gen- orations are now living in Norfolk Norfolk- Col Cotton his daughter Mrs Airs Mary Alary her son J. J Storrs Mathewson Math Math- ewson ewson and his bis little daughter One of the facts Justifying the the statement that this Is is the oldest Ia law w book in In In- America is that Col Cotton has searched In libraries all over the I country country country coun coun- try both personally and by letter and has practically established e t the fact that this Is the oldest in the the land i Va Ial In York Norfolk special New Ne I World |